GlaxoSmithKline Give Canadians The Facts; Keeps Americans In the Dark

I had heard that Tums contains aluminum, so I searched for more info on Google using the terms “tums aluminum.”

I came up with a link to this FAQ on Tums which tells me:

TUMS does not contain aluminum as an active ingredient.

Their use of the term active ingredient raised some alarm bells, so I did another search using the terms “glaxosmithkline tums aluminum.”

This search brought me to the Canadian version of the Tums FAQ. This page not only informs me that:

All information appearing on this site is reserved for residents of Canada only.

But it also informs me that:

one of the raw materials used in TUMS® does contain negligible amounts of aluminum, measured as parts per million (ppm), ranging approximately from 100 to 500 ppm

Tums is frequently recommended as a way to get calcium during pregnancy. It has also been demonstrated that mice fetuses exposed to 500 and 1000 ppm of aluminum during pregnancy had developmental problems.

Apparently, only Canadians are allowed to know about the fact that Tums can contain an amount of aluminum that could possibly lead to fetal development problems.

Thank you GlaxoSmithKline for showing us the incredible integrity and honesty of the Pharmaceutical industry!

Of course, I do realize that the study gave mice a significantly higher total dose of aluminum than a woman would get through consumption of two Tums. The risk to American women is still very low.

But the point remains that it is absolutely sleazy that the company gives its Canadian customers the full information, while giving US customers an edited version of the facts.

Friday June 27, 2008